


House of Black

by bronwyn_black



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon but not really, F/M, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26583097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bronwyn_black/pseuds/bronwyn_black
Summary: When the first sparks of the wizarding world begin to fly, the last place Bronwyn and Lydia thought they'd be was in the middle of it all
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin





	House of Black

Friday, July 24, 1995  
The Family Tree room of Black Manor was a desolate place. The average size room was rarely frequented by the Black family, but today was a different story.  
It was a warm and rainy summer day in Wiltshire England. Distant rolls of thunder and the sound of rain battering against the window panes fill the silent study. Inside, the sound of laughter and swift footsteps echoed through the halls.  
“Lydia, watch out!” Bronwyn laughed as she pulled her sister around a corner. The two girls held their breath and flattened themselves against the wall as Avery, their younger sister, flew right past them and down the hall. 

“That was a close one. You’ve got to watch yourself.”  
“Well, how was I supposed to know she was coming this way Bronwyn?”  
“It’s called listening. You should really try it sometime.”  
Lydia gasped in mock surprise. “How dare you speak to your dear sister that way?” She asked, holding her hand over her heart as if deeply offended as she stuck her nose in the air like the women that come to Father’s galas. Bronwyn let out a snort. “Oh please!” She laughed, lightly shoving Lydia’s shoulder. 

The sound of an owl pecking at the window interrupted the girls’ playful banter. The sisters looked at each other with a smile before dashing over to the nearest window. Lydia opened the window and an owl flew inside, a small package dangling from its ankle.  
The brown owl sat on the windowsill and patiently stuck out its ankle. Bronwyn untied the string and rushed to her bedroom for some owl treats. In the meantime, Lydia opened the small parcel. Five envelopes with red wax seals were stacked neatly on top of each other. “Paxton! Layla! Bronwyn! Avery! Our Hogwarts letters are here!”  
The sound of footsteps rang out from all over the house as her siblings dashed to the upstairs hallway. Layla, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, eleven-year-old girl was the first of her family to get to her. Right behind her was Avery, her black hair flowing behind her as she swiftly approached her sister, sweat beading on her forehead, and her black Firebolt in hand.  
“Don’t tell me you’ve been flying indoors! You could’ve broken something!” Paxton exclaimed from behind Avery. “Of course I have! What else am I possibly supposed to do?”  
“Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe just not fly.” Bronwyn replied sarcastically as she approached the trio. With a roll of her eyes, Avery reached out and snatched the letters from Lydia’s hand, taking hers out of the small stack. Then she tossed the letters to Bronwyn before stalking off. Bronwyn handed her siblings their respective letters and they opened them, reading theirs before looking over Layla’s shoulder. Her letter read:

Dear Miss. Black,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
Please find attached a list of all necessary books and equipment. The term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than the 31st of July.

Yours Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Layla looked up at her siblings and smiled. “Congratulations Layla. What house do you think you’ll be in?” Bronwyn asked. A smirk slid across the younger sister’s face. “Slytherin.” Layla replied immediately.  
“Not Ravenclaw?” Lydia asks, hints of panic in her voice. She already had one sister in Slytherin, and that wasn’t going so well.  
“No, not Ravenclaw.”  
“Then what about Gryffindor?” Paxton asked with a hint of hope in his voice.  
“No, not Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw.” Layla said. She was beginning to become annoyed with her older siblings. “I’m going to be in Slytherin, and I don’t really care what any of you think about it.” With that she spun quickly on her heels and stalked out of the room. The triplets looked at each other.  
“Do you really think she’s going to be a Slytherin?” Lydia asked with a hint of uncertainty.  
“I mean… Based on that interaction I wouldn’t rule it out. And we’ve known for a long time that she values determination, cunning, and ambition.” Bronwyn replied with a shrug of her shoulders.  
Suddenly, a loud crash interrupted their conversation. The sound came from a room a few doors down from where they were standing. The group rushed down the hallway and realized the noise had come from the family tree room. Their father had always told them not to go in there, but there was obviously something wrong. Upon their arrival, Bronwyn pulled Penelope’s wand out of her boot and unlocked the door. “Bronwyn!” Paxton gasped, obviously shocked at his sister’s actions. “What?” Bronwyn asked as she casually stowed the wand in her boot. Lydia rolled her eyes and opened the door. Scrolls, pieces of parchment, and quills littered the floor. Lydia’s cat, Fat Albert, was spread out across the desk located in the right hand corner of the room.  
“AL!” Lydia said in a horrified tone. “What do you think you’re doing?” She rushed over to the desk, and quickly picked up the cat. She brought him over to the large chair in the opposite corner of the room and sat down, placing Albert on her lap. As Lydia scolded Al, Bronwyn turned to gaze at the large tapestry of their family tree that had been passed down for centuries.  
Meanwhile, Paxton had sat down to examine the pieces of parchment on the floor. Upon further inspection, he recognized the name of his grandfather.  
Born in early 1927, Alphred Black was the younger brother of Walburga Black. Alphred was renounced from his family after lending money to his disowned nephew, Sirius Black. He married his wife Martha Abbott in 1957. Martha and Alphred had their son Walter Black in October 1959.  
Walter Black married his first wife, Cynthia Clearwater on March 27th, 1975. Cynthia was the daughter of Eustace Fawley, a pureblood Hufflepuff who died September 6th, 1972 after getting caught in the middle of a fight between the Order of the Phoenix and a group of Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic. During his time alive, he married muggleborn Penelope Clearwater, and they later had a daughter in April 1960, who they named Cynthia Clearwater. Cynthia and Walter had their oldest daughter Penelope, on July 13th, 1976. In 1978, Cynthia eloped with her ex-lover, Slytherin Eddie Burke, leaving her husband and daughter behind.  
In May 1979, Walter married Leanne Potter, and on June 18th, 1980, triplets Lydia, Bronwyn, and Paxton Black were born. Walter and Leanne’s youngest daughter Avery Black was born on the 19th November, 1981. In January of 1981, Leanne Black was diagnosed with Dragon Pox, and later died in St. Mungo’s on February 19th, 1982.  
After the death of his wife Leanne, Walter fell into a state of depression. During this time, his ex-wife Cynthia returned. Taking advantage of the situation, she convinced him to take her back. A year later, they remarried and had their second child, Layla Clearwater. Cynthia passed away during the birth of their child, once again leaving Walter alone.  
Paxton lifted his head and looked up at his sisters. “You might want to take a look at this.”  
“What?” Bronwyn asked, walking over from where she stood. Lydia stood up, Fat Albert leaping from her lap. “Is something the matter?” She asked with a concerned look on her face. “Not exactly,” Paxton replied. “I just found some information I think you should see.” Both girls bent down to see what he was talking about. When they finished reading, they gave each other an astonished look, both of them at a loss for words.  
“Why would Father keep this from us?” Bronwyn asked helplessly. He told the children when they were young that their mother, Cynthia, had died while giving birth to Layla. He had never mentioned Leanne, let alone the fact that Cynthia had cheated on him. He passed off the difference in last names by claiming that he wanted to use both names, as they were both very prominent in the wizarding world. Now, the triplets sat in the middle of the room thinking about the fact that everything that they thought they knew about their family was nothing but a web of lies.  
“What do we do now? We can’t tell Avery and Layla, it’ll destroy them.” Lydia asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly. Avery and Layla were the closest of the group of siblings. “We need to talk to Penelope and Father. Penelope would’ve been old enough to remember Leanne.” Bronwyn asserted. “Maybe we should talk to her first?” Paxton suggested. Right as he finished his sentence, they heard the door in the main entrance slam. Father was home.  
“Guys! Hurry! We need to clean this up fast!” Paxton whisper-yelled. Bronwyn swiftly pulled Penelope’s wand out of her boot, pointing it at the mess on the floor. “Mobiliarbus” The scrolls, pieces of parchment, and quills flew back into place. Lydia scooped up Fat Al and started towards the door. He let out a meow of discomfort to show that he was not happy about having to move.  
“Shut it you stupid cat! Are you trying to get us caught?” Paxton hissed as Bronwyn shut the door behind them, whispering a quick colloportus.  
“Hey! Don’t talk to him like that!” Lydia snapped. The trio made their way down the hall and towards the staircase. The two younger girls rounded the corner of the hall at the same time.  
“Hello Father!” Layla said cheerfully, skipping down the steps in a playful manner. “How was your day?” The triplets were almost resentful of Layla’s positive attitude. She was lucky to not be aware of the heartbreaking truth about their heritage. “It was great!” Their father responded. “Did Penelope start dinner?”  
“Yes.” Penelope responded, popping her head out of the kitchen. “It’s almost ready.” Their older sister loved to cook.  
“I’m going to change out of my robes, make sure the table is set by the time I get down.” Their father reminded them before heading up the stairs.Bronwyn forced a smile. “We’re on it!” The five younger siblings followed Penelope into their spacious kitchen.  
“I made a chicken pot pie.” Penelope said with a twinkle of pride in her eyes. She had recently decided that she was going to try to make meals without using her magic. This was due to a bet made with Avery over whether or not she could cook without using magic. Bronwyn casually slid Penelope’s wand out of her boot and passed it behind her back to Paxton, who carefully placed it on the counter while Penelope was looking in the opposite direction, watching Avery and Layla set the table. “The pie smells lovely, Penelope.” Lydia complemented her older sibling.  
“Well, are we going to stand around talking about dinner or actually eat it?” Walter asked playfully as he finished setting the table with a flick of his wand. The silverware and dishes floated out of the cupboards and on to the dining room table. The family of seven took their seats and began to serve themselves. “What did you all get up to today?” He asked casually. Paxton choked on his water. Lydia and Bronwyn turned to give their brother a pointed look. “Oh, nothing much.” Bronwyn replied, tearing her gaze from Paxton. “We got our letters from Hogwarts.” Lydia piped up. It was Walter’s turn to spit out his water. “Did you now? What house do you think you’ll be in Layla?” Layla shrugs casually. “I don’t know.” The family sat in silence for ages before Bronwyn couldn’t take it anymore. 

“I’ve been made a Prefect.” Bronwyn stated, looking up from her plate.  
“That’s great Bronwyn! I’m so proud of you.” Walter smiled before getting lost in thought.  
Silence engulfed the family once again until Lydia spoke up. “When are we going to Diagon Alley?” Their father grimaced slightly.“Right now I’m really busy at work, but maybe we can get around to it in August?” Walter suggested. “Speaking of work, I saw Arthur Weasley today. I invited his family over tomorrow.” The children looked at each other excitedly. The Weasley’s had become close family friends after Penelope and Percy dated two years ago, and they always had a wonderful time playing Quidditch.  
Bronwyn pretended to stifle a yawn. “I don’t know about you lot, but I’m going to bed.” She stood up and brought her plates to the kitchen counter. As she placed them next to the sink, she gazed out the window to admire the beautiful night. She sighed as she thought about the web of lies that covered up the truth about her mother for so long. She heard feet shuffling behind her. Lydia popped up next to her, and lifted herself onto the counter.  
“I know this is all kind of crazy, but we’ll get through this together, as a family.” She smiled and turned to look out the window. The stars were twinkling brightly, scattered across the dark night sky. “Goodnight.” Lydia smiled at her triplet. She hopped off of the counter and hugged her sister before continuing toward the staircase. Bronwyn stood there for a moment longer, trying to make sense of the mess that her life had become.


End file.
